Hi, I posted regularly on this site years and years ago as a teenager, haven't been on since about 2003. I'm 25 now, and my little bro moved in with me at the start of this last fall. We've always bonded over wrestling, and because of that, I've been watching Raw regularly since then (again for the first time since about 2003).
Kizzani, you sound a lot like I did when I "quit" watching wrestling all those years ago. You are disillusioned. You see the unfair hierarchy at the top of the WWE, and you want more than just a bunch of big guys bumbling around the ring, and getting undeserved pushes. I feel that.
However, as someone who's been on the outside looking in for the last decade, lurking in the shadows of pro wrestling, keeping track but not investing, I'm here to tell you, definitively, that things are MUCH better than you seem to think they are. Last night's Wrestlemania proved that, so much so that I came back to this site as a grown man just so I could talk about it with people that "understand."
Not only was last night's PPV a rousing success, I honestly feel like it's right up there with the top 3-5 Mania's ever. I was completely invested in every single match, even the Divas match piqued my interest (in a MUCH different way than any of the other matches, granted). Since you took the match by match approach, I'll do the same:
Hogan, Rock and Stone Cold
What "point" is there to miss about this moment? For 10 minutes, I got to watch 3 guys I spent nearly my entire life watching and mimicking, cut a promo together and drink beer. And this is a bad thing......why? I marked out hard for that shit, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
Andre Battle Royal
Not the most exciting match of the evening, and nobody expected it to be. However, there were 4 or 5 really cool spots (including Cesaro CLEANLY picking up the FUCKING BIG SHOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! How awesome was that), and somebody who really needs to be pushed had his very first WM moment. Even Zig Zag was in the top 4, which says that while he seems to be taking some sort of extended "punishment" from the big wigs, at least they are paying attention to the fans, and how over he is. I think this was done about as good as it could've been.
Triple H vs Daniel Bryan
I loved everything about this match. Even Hunter's ridiculous, over the top entrance, because it made him look like a complete pompous ass. The way he seemingly "toyed" with Bryan early on, laughing at the thought of Bryan's challenge, beautiful heel work. Say what you want about HHH, the motherfucker "gets" this buisiness better than almost anybody. Stephanie did a great job outside the ring, taunting Bryan and the crowd. After an excellent 20 mins of ring work, which saw every move executed with near perfection from both guys, the finish was exciting, quick, and abrupt. The post match beat down set the stage for Bryan getting put over in a MAJOR way, something I'll touch on in a bit.
Shield vs Outlaws and Kane
Again, what were you expecting? A 30 minute mat classic? From 2 guys that JBL reminded us are combined over 100 years old? The end result was what it needed to be, The Shield looked as dominant as ever, and there was a badass spot at the end of the match that made Roman Reigns (who is clearly in line for a future MONSTER push) look like a fucking beast. Would've loved to have seen more Rollins, and ESPECIALLY more Ambrose, but this was obviously the match that was destined to be the time saving squash from the very beginning.
Taker vs Lesnar
You mentioned in your original post that the result of this match accomplished "nothing." I couldn't disagree more. Brock Lesnar is one of those rare guys that regardless of how often he competes or how invested into the stories he is, dude's over, in a big way, and always will be. Putting him over a soon to be retired Undertaker was the only thing that made sense. Say Taker wins last night, then what? Even if he's not "done," he certainly isn't going to be wrestling in any matches for another year. He was obviously ready for the streak to end, and who better to end it than somebody who we KNOW could probably take the big man out with his bare hands in REAL LIFE. That's what Lesnar brings to the table, REAL LIFE DOMINANCE. He makes everything look like it hurts like hell. Taker looked old and tired last night. I'm sure part of that was intentional, but I think much of it was very real. He looked winded. He looked spent. Despite the slow nature early on in the match, it picked up towards the end, and the finish was spectacular. The reaction of the crowd was fucking priceless. What a WM moment, and for it to be considered anything otherwise is a detriment to Taker's unbelievable run.
Cena and Bray Wyatt
The end result wasn't what I wanted, but as HHH says, "you fans can't
get what you want all the time." The end result is not what mattered in this match. We needed to believe that Bray had a legit shot to take out the face of the WWE, and they made that happen. What a beautiful match. Wyatt's taunts and confusing behavior, more great ring psychology. This guy is going to be HUGE. Mark my words. He's got it all. Unrivaled on the mic, a unique and ever growing move set, a devastating finisher, a great, dark gimmick that despite it's ridiculousness is just believable enough (a la Stone Cold doing completely ridiculous things and never getting fired back in the day, same sort of deal). These guys went back and forth, didn't miss a spot, and kept the crowd invested, something that isn't always easy to do in a Cena match. Again, why Cena went over is beyond me, but I do agree with you on one thing, we haven't seen the last of this fued.
Daniel Bryan Vs. Orton Vs. Bootista
Ok, check it out. Bryan was put over more so than any other guy in Wrestlemania history last night, and there's NO fucking debate about that. He gets attacked by Hunter earlier in the night, then takes a Batista Bomb/RKO (cool spot by the way, never seen that before have you?) through the table, then gets taken out on a stretcher, only to refuse medical service, jump back in the ring, and make Bootista (the man who's taken the most brunt from the fans about Bryan's lack of push up to that point) tap out. Are you kidding me? The match itself wasn't 5 star, but I'd definitely say it was at least 4 star quality. (If you disagree, I dare you to give me evidence to back up your claim. Go watch the match again. There isn't any). Bryan finally gets his moment, in dramatic fashion no less, after nearly a whole year of build. What the hell else did you want? It was perfect! They put a fucking bow on that motherfucker!
Think about it for a sec, not only did WWE brass finally admit that not pushing Bryan was a fuck up, they actually MADE UP for it by making him look like such a badass last night.
My love for the WWE has been completely rejuvinated after last night. There are amazing things on the horizon. Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, The Shield, Dolph Ziggler, these guys are young, hungry, extremely talented, and have not even TOUCHED the full capacity of their potential. We are about to enter the next golden age of wrestling. I hope you're all strapped on for the ride.
The part I've bolded was a HUGE reach IMO. I rewatched the show except for the last two matches right now because raw is on. I admit the Wyatt Cena match was better the second time but no way was the story telling or psychology even close to those matches IMO. It was a good match but that's a reach I'd give Cena vs Wyatt 8/10 at MOST. But it's probably more a high 7 because I'd put the Daniel Bryan matches at 8's the rest range from average to terrible IMO. Austin vs Hart is 10/10 and Taker vs Triple H is up there also. I was disappointed by how slow paced the match was but it worked sort of even though it would have greatly benefitted from a little bit more in the tempo department.
